Tuesday, May 8, 2012

A Lonely Place to Die

I thought A Lonely Place to Die was a horror film, being that it was profiled in Fangoria and all, but it is really more of a kidnapping/outdoorsy thriller ala Shoot to Kill. Remember that movie? Sidney Poitier as an action hero? A hot Kirstie Alley? Rent it! It is awesome!

Two things drew me to A Lonely Place to Die, besides the perceived horror element. One is Melissa George, who I think is great (on the cusp of full horror girl stardom) and the other was the mountain climbing element. I am a sucker for mountain climbing stories, have been since I read Into Thin Air many years ago. In another life I could have been a mountain climber, although in this one I can barely climb a hill. There are a bunch of good mountain climbing films and documentaries, including the excellent Touching the Void and Third Man on the Mountain. A Lonely Place to Die will not be joining that list. It is not really a climbing movie. Yes, the group we are going to spend two hours with are mountain climbing in the Scottish Highlands and yes, the film opens with mountain climbing scene, but most of the action takes place off the mountain. The whole story gets started on their WAY to the mountain.

A group of friends is on their way to climb in the Scottish Highlands. They speak wistfully of K2 but I get the sense that their climbing experience limits them to more manageable mountains. In the woods they hear a voice crying out in an unknown language. They find a small girl buried underground. This whole build up is spooky and you begin to wonder if this is going to turn into some kind of Saw/Hostel torture tourist kind of thing. Turns out that the girl is a kidnap victim, and her kidnappers are going to be none to pleased that these mountain climbers have rescued her. At this point the film becomes a chase thiller, with two very, very bad men as the hunters and Melissa George and the little girl as the prey.

Although I was suprised by the film (it was not at all what I expected) I enjoyed it. If you are in the mood for a thriller, I would recommend this. If you are in the mood for a mountain climbing horror film (which I was) I would not.